First of all, I am trying to steer clear of National Geographic, ever since Rupert Murdoch took it over and made it a soundboard for his neocon ideology.

Also, I do not want to be the guy who brings everybody down by continually mentioning that the true history of Thanksgiving is a lot less innocent and noble than has been traditionally, popularly believed.

That said, I am adding this one link that brings out another aspect of Thanksgiving history, although doing so with this little aside: I will be celebrating Thanksgiving with not one, but two Thanksgiving meals with friends and family today. However, I will be celebrating by trying to emphasize all of the blessings that I have been truly blessed with. Also, we cannot change history, but we can try to understand it more accurately, and come to terms with it. I am not advocating scrapping Thanksgiving altogether, but the crimes committed in the past, which this holiday essentially honors, should be addressed plainly and truthfully. So, I am doing my part (or as much as I can right now) to spread the word. It seems particularly relevant right now, when the United States is under the microscope for all of the racial tensions that are rising to the surface at this moment in history.

A Few Things You (Probably) Don’t Know About Thanksgiving by Becky Little of National Geographic, November 21, 2015: